Poems by Audrey Blinman
Photography by Blake Riesenfeld
COMMONLY WRITTEN
Poetry is so commonly written
by the victim.
The bystander.
The bullied.
The pained.
And yet I wonder
how many were written
by the perpetrator?
By the bully?
By the torturer?
By the heartbreaker?
The liar?
The deranged?
What if every time I see
your name create a glow on the screen
and still fail to acknowledge it
for fear of having to acknowledge it,
every time I complain to my allies
about your desperation
I’m still not the one
feeling the most pain.
But what if I know that
and still I do nothing?
What does that make me?
How do I write then?
Am I a villain?
Are my words written
by a true criminal?
By a bully?
A torturer?
A heartbreaker, a
liar?
Do I lie when I say,
“Thank you,”
When someone says that I’m kind?
Because poetry is so commonly written
by the victims
and the bystanders.
Sometimes, I wonder if I’m
just a bystander.
But if you find a stolen purse
and don’t return it,
would you not still be
a criminal?
Or will your words become commonly written?
HANDLE YOUR LUGGAGE
Standing at the airport
and watching them check our bags
then toss them roughly
onto the conveyor.
It makes me wonder if one day
I will be handled as such.
Tagged, tossed and dragged along
against my will.
People are not luggage.
We don’t have zippers,
We don’t carry clothes.
But we do open up sometimes
when we find people to trust.
And we carry things,
many things.
A jostle can still upset our contents,
and a toss can crack them in two.
A LETTER TO A DISTANT IDEAL
Dear Honesty,
I swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth,
nothing but the truth.
Honesty, how twisted you are.
What a gallimaufry of stories you are.
What a tangled idea
in such an unknit world.
Dear Nobility,
intentions pure.
I dub thee the one and only
protector of all that’s to be had.
Pure intentions
are so clouded
by expectations
and by time.
I can’t sit and wait,
can’t see the water boil.
I’m on my feet.
My intentions were not noble,
I did not tell the truth.
When I said,
“I’ll cook the pasta!”
I really meant
let it stew.
Sincerely, Reality
HOLD FOR TEN
Hold it for ten seconds
when it breaks.
Hold it, then let go.
It might look dead
for just a moment
but don’t worry.
It will come back.
But will you?
If you restart yourself
will you power on?
If you hold for ten
beneath the crystal mirror,
will you resurface?
Or will you keep holding
and will your screen stay black
forever?